Combined chair



(No Model.)

WILT. COMBINED CHAIR, FISH PLATE, AND RAIL COUPLER. No. 379,432.

Patented Mar. 13, 1888.

{NV-ENTER, warm.

UNITED STATES PATENT WILLARD WILT, OF EUREKA, CALIFORNIA.

COMBINED CHAIR, FISH-PLATE, AND RAIL COUPLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,432, dated March13, 1888.

Application filed March 18, 1887. Serial No. 231,356. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLARD WIL'r, a citizen of the United States,residing in Eureka, in the county of Humboldt and State of California,have invented a new and useful Com bined Chair, Fish-Plate, and RailCoupler, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in combined chairs and railconnections for railroad-rails. It will be understood by reference tothe accompanying drawings and the letters referring thereto.

Figure l is a view showing two rails, one broken off in order to show myimprovement in chair and rail connection. Figs. 2 and 3 are endsectional views showing the same. Fig. 4. is a plan view showing aportion of a frog with my improvement attached. Fig. 5 is a perspectiveview of one of my improved combined chairs and couplings.

A represents an ordinary T- rail; B,the combined chair and railroadcoupling; 0, the spikes; D, the spike-recessesin the rail, and E thealigned spike holes in the combined chair, fish-plate, and railcoupling.

The following is the construction and op eration of the same:

I form the combined chair and fish-plate coupling of about one inch inthickness at the bottom, and reduce the thickness at the sides to adaptit to the breadth of the head of the rail.

I adapt the construction of my improved combined chair and fishplatecoupling to any form of rail where the same principle may be applied.

Thisimprovementh as great advantages over the common fish-plate, fromthe fact that it holds the rail more firmly and prevents the possibilityof the rails getting away from a perfect adjustment in line with eachother,and c the notches D are sufficiently elongated to allow for allcontraction and expansion, while thespike-holes in my combined chair andcoupling, fitting exactly to the spike, prevent the rails from beingdrawn apart more at one point than another, as is the case with railswhere the track is liable to be heated and expanded at one point morethan at another,and the servicesof thetrack-walkerare not needed to keepany screws or other device from loos ening, as is liable Where thefish-plate is employed.

I am aware that itis not new to formacombined fish-plate and rail-chairfrom a single piece, and that the same has been provided with elongatedslots for the reception of securingspikes; but I am not aware that anyone has heretofore formed such a device from a single piece with itsbase of an increased thickness, and its vertical branches, forming thefish-plates, thinned out so that they may yield outwardly, so as toembrace the web or rails of various sizes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent,

The improved railway-chair and fish-plate described, consisting,essentially, of a single piece of metal havinga baseincreased inthickness, as shown, and the vertical branches forming the fish-platesreduced, so as to allow them to yield laterally and embrace the web ofrails of various thicknesses, substantially as specified.

WILLARD \VILT.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. REnsToNE, L. E. REDSTONE.

